A part of something bigger
by moonswirl
Summary: Dark Angel/Roswell... Well, let's see, how to explain it... um... just read it, you'll see...
1. The arrival

A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER  
A Roswell/Dark Angel crossover fanfiction  
  
  
April 30th 1999, Roswell, New Mexico.  
  
  
"Hey, Maria," said Max Evans, 19, uneasily as he approached Maria DeLuca, also 19.   
  
"Hi." She was mad, he could tell. Then again, he couldn't blame her.  
  
"Have you talked to Liz?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I wish I could have done as I'd planned, but this was a major opportunity for me."  
  
"I understand that, Max. But put yourself in her place. She transferred to that school to be with you and now you're leaving?"  
  
"I'm aware of that. But this is..."  
  
"I know, it's great, okay? But it still stinks for her."  
  
"I know that."  
  
  
At that moment, Nancy Parker came into the Crashdown dining room.  
  
"Hey, Mrs. Parker," said Max and Maria.  
  
"Have you seen Liz?" she asked, her tone obviously panicked.  
  
"Something wrong?" asked Maria.  
  
"I think she ran away..." she whispered.  
  
"WHAT?" Maria shouted. Max was speechless.  
  
"I... went to her room... to see if she was okay..." she started, stealing a quick glance towards Max. "... but she wasn't there... I was about to leave and I saw... a sheet stuck to the wall by her door..." She showed them.  
  
  
"Mom, dad. I need to get out of here. Too much has happened and I just can't stay. I'll try to keep in contact with you. I'll call as soon as I've found a place to stay. Please don't worry too much, I'll be fine. I love you, Liz."  
  
*  
  
May 2nd 1999, somewhere in Wyoming.  
  
Liz Parker, 19, looked around the small apartment. It wasn't exactly luxury, but it would have to do. She had a job interview in about half an hour. She quickly left her new home and when on the street, she hailed a taxi. When it came, she gave the driver the address. She was too busy reviewing what she was going to say, she didn't notice the driver wasn't going where she'd told him to. When the car stopped, she finally looked up.  
  
"Where are we?" she asked.  
  
*  
  
"19-year-old female, she was found in an alley..." started the paramedic as she was wheeled into the emergency room.  
  
"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?" the doctor asked. She moaned as a response. She looked really bad. Her clothes were torn and she had a large cut across her left cheek. She was so weak, she couldn't remember what happened. Then she passed out.  
  
When she regained consciousness, she felt slightly better. She was on a bed, in a hospital room, she knew that. How she'd gotten there, she didn't know. Then, slowly, it came back to her. The driver attacked her. He took her money, all of it. He left her in the alley. That's where she realized she was when the car stopped. If only she'd paid attention to where they were going, she thought.  
  
*  
  
The next day, she was released from the hospital. When she came home, she looked in the mirror. She would have that scar... probably her whole life... That night, she cried herself to sleep.  
  
In the morning, she left early to start looking for work. She had to walk, since she had no money left. Also because she didn't want to take another taxi. She was done with them, never again...  
  
All day, she looked, but found nothing. And then...  
  
"Excuse me, Miss?" She turned to see who was talking to her and found herself in front of two tall men.  
  
"Y... yes?"  
  
"How would you like to gain a large sum of money and be part of a scientific breakthrough?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"We are looking for young women to test a new... product."  
  
"Uh... I don't know..." said Liz, slowly backing away.  
  
"Please, don't be frightened, we mean you no harm. Think about it, all right? If you change your mind, call this number," said the second man, handing her a card. And with that, they were gone.  
  
  
The next night, after another exhausting day of searching, she picked up the card and stared at it for a long time. Why not, she thought. She had nothing to lose, after all.  
  
*  
  
Two days later, she was on a bus with a bunch of other girls, all about her age. Every one of them remained silent during the trip, except for a few whom whispered to the girls sitting near them. Liz was one of them, talking to this girl named Gina. Neither knew what this whole thing was about, but they had both come for the same reason: they needed money.  
  
They couldn't see where they were heading, because the windows were too dark to see through. All were thinking the same thing, although none said it aloud: What had they gotten themselves into. They would soon find out part of it.  
  
Three hours later, the bus stopped. The door opened and a man, Liz thought he looked to be in his thirties, came aboard.  
  
"Welcome ladies, to Manticore. My name is Donald Lydecker, I run this place, so you listen to me. You will be escorted to your quarters, and I will meet with you in the mess hall in two hours." With that, he left. The next step happened so fast, they weren't sure what was going on.  
  
Two men came on the bus, and Liz drew in a scared breath. They started yelling, "GET UP! GET UP! OUT! OUT! OUT!" The girls hurried out, not wanting to find out what would happen if they didn't listen. Once off the bus, they were split in two groups of thirty each. Gina was with her. They had to all but run to catch up with the men as they yelled to follow them. They were taken into the base and into a large room with thirty beds in it. And that was it. Just the beds. Nothing else. As she passed the door, she saw what was written on it... X5. She had a feeling things would get extremely worse before they got better.  
  
She managed to get a bed next to Gina's. The two girls remained close to each other at all time, both shaking as they observed their surroundings. The other twenty-eight girls were equally frightened. The two men came in again, and placed a large box on the ground.  
  
"Line up and come to pick up your gowns," shouted one of them. Unsure of what else to do, the girls obliged.  
  
"Now change into them." The girls did as they were told, trying to hide themselves as much as they could from the men who observed them. Liz and Gina glanced at each other once they were done. Before they could say anything, the men barked out another order.  
  
"Pair up." Then, they escorted the first pair out of the room.  
  
  
Every ten minutes, another pair was taken away. Liz and Gina were fourth. As they left the room, they came across the first two girls. They looked so different. Their hair had been cut to their chins. Liz established eye contact with one of them. The girl indicated their bare ankles, as they were left barefoot. She saw it just as she was about to cross them. A barcode... tattooed on their left ankles. Explained why they were limping. Liz looked to Gina, and she had seen it too.  
  
Some time later, Liz, Gina, and the other girls were sitting in the mess hall. All had the same haircut, all had a barcode on their ankles. Finally, Lydecker entered.  
  
"You are the X5 group. Remember that. You will be on this base for ten months. After that, you will be returned to wherever you came from." That was the first good thing they had heard ever since they arrived.  
  
"Now someone will explain to you what will be happening through the course of your stay here." And he left. Liz didn't like the sound of it.  
  
*  
  
Three months later  
  
She had been at Manticore for three months now. And she had been right. It had only gotten worse day after day. She looked down to her belly, which had taken a small roundness by then. She was pregnant. That was the thing that shocked her the most when she found out what they were on the base for. They were going to be impregnated. Tested on, monitored, they were watched 24/7. At first, she was furious. How could she have let this happen? She was almost angry at the life inside her. But as time went by, as her body changed and she started to show, she found that she had become attached to her. She was told it was a girl. Knowing what it was had made it so real for her. There was no ignoring it anymore. She was going to be a mother.  
  
And every time that thought came to her, she had to remind herself she wouldn't get to keep her child. They would keep her and she would be taken back to her little apartment, which she didn't think would be free when she got to it again. As she sat on her bed, in the position she'd found herself to adopt more and more, with her left hand on her belly and right hand on the barcode on her ankle, she thought something that surprised her. Escape. She could do it... not at the moment... but at some point. She'd take her time, observe the halls, and try to think of a way out. She'd continue to act as if nothing was wrong, but one night, she'd leave. "Hey, said Gina as she sat next to her.  
  
"Hi." "What are you thinking?" she asked, her hand at her belly as well.  
  
"I wanna get out of here."  
  
"Yeah, like we don't all want the same thing..."  
  
"We'll get out of here. You and me. In a few weeks, you'll see."  
  
*  
  
Four months later  
  
"Come on!" whispered Liz. The two girls were sneaking across the halls of Manticore, with a little trouble walking, understandable as they were in their seventh month. Their bellies had grown tremendously since they first started planning their escape. They should have done it months ago, but the opportunity never presented itself until that day.  
  
"We've been walking for an hour, Liz, we have to get out of here before they realize we've left our beds. It won't take long now."  
  
"Keep your voice down!" Liz urged. Half a second later, the alarm sounded.  
  
"No!" Gina whispered.  
  
"Hurry up, we're almost there!" said Liz as they passed a corner.  
  
"THERE!" they heard. They'd been found. They started running for the door.  
  
"Stop now!" one of the guards yelled. Scared for her daughter, Liz stopped for a second and hesitated. Gina, on the other hand, didn't stop.  
  
  
A single gunshot right to the heart. Gina hit the ground, dead.  
  
"NO!" Liz screamed. She looked back to the one who'd fired at her friend. Lydecker.   
  
"Please! Help her! Save her! Save her baby! Please, do something!"  
  
"Take her to delivery, it might not be too late to save it," said Lydecker, indicating Gina's still form, floating in her blood.  
  
"And take this one to solitary. I don't want her to be able to get out of here, is that clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir," the two guards shouted. Before she could do anything, one of them went to Gina and the other grabbed at her arm and started dragging her away.  
  
"NO! GINA! LET ME GO!" She struggled and struggled as the guard pulled her across halls and finally took her into a room and strapped her to a bed.  
  
"You're lucky you and your baby are still alive. What were you thinking?" said the guard before leaving. He was one of the only ones who showed a shred of compassion from time to time, although they never did in front of their superiors. After he left, Liz spent hours screaming and struggling against her restraints. Finally she stopped, as she fell asleep.  
  
*  
  
Two months later  
  
She was now full-term and they were coming to induce her into labor. The last two months had been hard. She'd found out, thanks to one of the people at Manticore, a woman named Hannah, that Gina's baby had been delivered safely, a baby girl, born ten minutes after her mother had died. All over the base, the girls who had come at the same time as Liz and Gina were giving birth. And now it was her turn.  
  
Two guards came into the room. She got up peacefully and followed. But the moment she was brought into the room, she started screaming and tried to escape. Finally, they picked her up, laid her down on the bed and strapped her down. She kept pulling at the straps but soon found herself feeling dizzy. They had drugged her. Just before she passed out, she heard the first sound she'd heard that made her feel her heart beat happily. The cries of her baby girl. And then her world went black.  
  
*  
  
Over the course of the next two days, although she was unaware of the actual time elapsed, she came to and passed out, came to and passed out... When she finally came out of it, she woke up in a room very different to the one she knew at Manticore. A window, with curtains, a sofa, a table with a chair, a gentle light at the ceiling, blue walls, and a comfortable bed.  
  
"Good morning," said the woman, about 30, as she came in the room.  
  
"Wh... where am I?" asked Liz.  
  
"You're at Snowhill."  
  
"Snowhill?" said Liz, letting the word out.  
  
"Snowhill psychiatric institute," the woman explained.  
  
"No... no... where's my daughter? Where have you taken her? I don't belong here!" Liz said, attempting to scream, but still too weak, it was more of a high-pitched mumble.  



	2. Hope, and the Pulse

February 15th 2000, Roswell, New Mexico  
  
Jeff Parker absent-mindedly wiped the counter of the Crashdown café. It had been nearly ten months since his only daughter Liz had disappeared. He knew something wasn't right. Liz had promised she'd keep in contact, and he knew if everything was fine, she would have held her promise. The bell chimed as Liz's friends came in. Max, his sister Isabel, Michael Guerin, Tess Harding, Maria, Alex Whitman and Kyle Valenti, all 19.  
  
"Anything?" he asked with a glimmer of hope.  
  
"Sorry," said Max, as they sat down, all clearly disappointed.  
  
"Well, at least you're trying, eventually, you'll find her.  
  
"Yeah," said Maria, not really believing her own words.  
  
"Okay," said Jeff as he went to serve some customers.  
  
  
"Are you still trying to dreamwalk her, Isabel?" asked Alex.  
  
"Yeah, but I still can't find her... it's like something is blocking me..." The fact that she hadn't been able to reach Liz with her powers had been really hard on her. Ever since Liz, Maria, Kyle and Alex had found out their secret, Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess had found them to be great friends and allies. And Isabel wanted so bad to help her friend.  
  
"Well, you'll get it... maybe not today, but... someday..." said Michael, trying to comfort her.  
  
*  
  
2005, Manticore base  
  
"Jace," said one of the X5's.  
  
"That's nice," said another.  
  
"Then it will be my name," she answered.  
  
"Me next," said another of the girls, "Tinga." They had decided on picking names for themselves, rather than calling themselves by the barcodes on their necks. One by one, they announced their names... Brin... Zack... Ben... Eva... Jack... Krit... Syl... Zane...  
  
"Max," said one of them.  
  
"Why that?" asked Eva.  
  
"I don't know... just feels right..." she answered.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"So, you're last, have you picked a name?" Max asked the smallest one of them, the one she felt closest to.  
  
"Yes. Jondy."  
  
"Okay... that's nice... do we have everyone?" They all nodded.  
  
"We better get back to bed before they come in to check on us," said Zack.  
  
*  
  
February 2009, Manticore base  
  
The day had begun like any other. None knew this would be the day that would change their lives forever. When one of her fellow X5's fell into a seizure and was dragged away still seizing, Max felt this wouldn't be a normal day. That night, as she lay in bed, she observed the bed next to hers, which had been stripped of its mattress. And then she felt her hand start to shake... the beginning of a seizure. She hid her hand under the covers, hoping no one had seen. Soon after, when it had seemed to stop, she snuck out of bed and went through the halls, not sure of what she was searching for. And then it became crystal clear. She came across a room and looked in. Doctors were opening her friend up, like there was nothing weird about cutting open a small child. She knew he hadn't died from it. They had seizures often, it didn't kill them. She saw Lydecker, standing there, like everything was fine, sipping on his coffee.  
  
And then she knew. She had to get out of there. Get her 'brothers and sisters' and run for it. She returned to the X5 quarters. She let out a very low whistle, a trick they'd learned. Since their hearing was stronger than everybody else's, they would hear it, but the guards wouldn't. The others immediately awakened.  
  
"We have to get out of here. Now..." But before she could continue, she was hit by the seizure, stronger than before. She fell to the ground and the others approached her. A couple guards came in and they knew why they were there. They would take her away. Feeling the advantage, Zack took care of the guards as the others helped Max up. Eva picked up one of the guns they'd dropped and signaled to follow her.  
  
*  
  
June 2009, Seattle, Washington  
  
Max looked around. Everything looked terrible. It was only a few days after the pulse. There were pieces of buildings and vehicles, just lying in the middle of the streets. People were too busy worrying about the situation that they wouldn't notice her. This was perfect. She would be almost impossible to find in this place. It had been a couple months since the escape. What worried her the most, was that she had no idea what had happened to the others, if they were okay, if they'd made it out... But she couldn't think about that. She needed to assure they wouldn't find her and bring her back there.  
  
  
For a little while, she'd stayed with a young girl and her father. But her training from Manticore had thought her not to stay in one place too long. So she left. She didn't want to leave her, Lucy, but she didn't have a choice. She'd try to go back for her. She needed to find herself a place to stay. That would be her first priority. The rest could wait.  
  
*  
  
June 2009, Snowhill psychiatric institute  
  
Liz looked outside the window in her room. She couldn't believe she'd been there for ten years. The experience had given her a new perspective on things. She wasn't quite as emotional as she was when she first woke up in her room. She still worried about her daughter, and she thought of her every day. She thought about her parents, her friends. She knew they were probably still very worried for her. She was supposed to call as soon as she'd settled down. But she never got the chance. And she wasn't allowed to contact the outside. If it wasn't for the nurses at Snowhill, she WOULD have gone insane.  
  
  
A few people had died recently, crushed under the part of the building that had collapsed after the pulse. A few had fled the place. But Liz stayed. It was the only comfort she knew. And no matter how strong she had become in the time since she left home, she feared for her life now more than ever.  
  
*  
  
June 2009, Roswell, New Mexico  
  
Alex Whitman, 29, observed his wife, Isabel Evans, 29 also, as she slept. By now he knew what that expression on her face was. She was trying to dreamwalk Liz again. It had been almost a decade and she still tried at least once a week. He tried to tell her to be more careful, or maybe to stop for a few months. She was carrying their child, and he didn't want it to be injured. And they had more important things to worry about at the moment. A few days before, the pulse happened. It was something he would never forget.  
  
  
They were watching a movie with Michael and Maria, and then the television went off. And they heard... buildings collapsing, alarms... it was chaos. They looked outside, and their peaceful little town had become an image from a war movie.  
  
  
Two days later, Kyle and Tess were home at last, as they were in Hawaii for their honeymoon, which they had to cut short. For the next week, they remained the six of them together in his house. They were too afraid to go out. Or at least, the women were and urged their husbands to stay with them. They made sure their families were okay. Max and his parents were home. So were the other parents. They decided it would be best not to go out if it wasn't necessary. People were losing it, and they certainly didn't need to put themselves in the crossfire.  



	3. Reunion

July 2019, Roswell, New Mexico  
  
"Jack! Come on, dinner time!" called Isabel to her 9-year-old son.  
  
"Coming!" said the boy. She was anxious, as they were having everyone over, Michael, Maria and their 8-year-old son Richard, or Ricky as they called him, Kyle and Tess and their daughters, Lisa, 7, and Anna, 4, and Max, who had remained single through the years. They knew he was waiting for her. For Liz. He still felt responsible and it was hard to see him in pain for so long. Hopefully, what Isabel had to tell them would comfort them.  
  
  
A few hours later, as they sat in the dining room, which had once been so beautiful, now today, it had lost its shine, although Isabel tried to make it look happy with colors, she looked at them all, and decided she couldn't wait any longer.  
  
  
"I have something to tell you." That got their attention.  
  
"What is it?" asked her husband.  
  
"Uh... Jack, honey, take the kids with you into your room, okay?" Jack nodded and he went to help Anna down from her chair. Once the kids had left the room, the others turned to Isabel.  
  
"Something wrong?" asked Max.  
  
"No, nothing's wrong. Actually, something might be... right," she let out with a slight smile.  
  
"Well, come on, tell us," insisted Maria, who wasn't very patient.  
  
  
"I did it," she simply said.  
  
"Did... what?" asked Tess.  
  
"You know how I've been trying to dreamwalk Liz to try to find her?" All nodded, and then stopped short when they had processed what she had just said.  
  
"Wait... you mean?" started Kyle.  
  
"I found her. Or at least, I made contact. I'm not quite sure where she is exactly at the moment..." She wasn't able to finish as the room erupted in a loud cheer. All of them looked like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.  
  
"Is she okay?" asked Max calmly.  
  
"Well... she looks... different..." "What do you expect? I mean it's been 20 years," said Alex, just then realizing how long it had been. It still seemed like yesterday.   
  
"So what now?" asked Maria.  
  
"I'm gonna try contacting her again, tonight. She told me she'd wait for me."  
  
*  
  
"Liz? Are you here?" asked Isabel.  
  
"I'm here," she said. Isabel smiled as she saw her.  
  
"It's so good to see you," she said as they hugged.  
  
"It's great to see you too. You have no idea."  
  
"Sorry I couldn't stay longer last night. But now I'm all yours." Liz smiled.  
  
"Where are you? What... city... what state?" She looked down. "Liz?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
"What?" She hadn't expected that.  
  
"I know the place I am, but I don't know where that is."  
  
"Where are you?" asked Isabel.  
  
"Snowhill psychiatric institute."  
  
"What are you doing there?"  
  
"It's a long story, and I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
"Okay," said Isabel, making a mental note to find out.  
  
"So, tell me, how is everyone?" She seemed very eager to know how the others were, and she certainly wouldn't leave her in the dark.  
  
  
"Well, Alex and I got married eleven years ago..." Liz smiled. "And we have a son. His name is Jack and he's nine."  
  
"Wow... who does he look like?"  
  
"Oh, he's his dad's spitting image," Isabel said with a smile. Both laughed for a couple seconds.  
  
"What about Maria?"  
  
"She actually got Michael to commit!" They laughed again. "Um, they got married nine years ago and have an eight-year-old son, Ricky." Liz was glad her friend was happy.  
  
"And Kyle?"  
  
"Married Tess ten years ago and they have two little girls, Lisa is 7 and Anna is 4. Anna looks so much like her mom..." Liz smiled once more.  
  
"And Max?" she asked slowly.  
  
"He's still waiting for you. He never married, never even dated, I think." Liz was shocked yet relieved a bit.  
  
  
"So... how'd you end up in a psychiatric institute?" asked Isabel.  
  
"I... I don't think I should talk about it here like this."  
  
Isabel thought for a minute, then said, "If we can find you, would you come home with us?"  
  
"I... maybe..."  
  
"Then we'll do it."  
  
"How?" asked Liz.  
  
"We'll find you first, then we can figure out the rest."  
  
*  
  
"A psychiatric institute??" Maria nearly yelled.  
  
"Keep your voice down! The kids will hear you," said Michael.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"What is she doing there?" asked Max.  
  
"She wouldn't say. But we have to find her and take her home." All agreed on that.   
  
"Okay, then let's see if we can find this place," said Alex.  
  
  
The next day, after hours of searching, something that wasn't very easy since the pulse had wiped out many records, Tess exclaimed, "I found it! I think..."  
  
"Where?" asked Kyle.  
  
"Um... Seattle..." she said.  
  
"Okay then," said Isabel. She went to see the kids, who were playing in Jack's room.   
  
"Hey, kids, pack your bags, we're going on a road trip."  
  
*  
  
Two weeks later, Seattle, Washington, Snowhill psychiatric institute  
  
"Okay, you ready?" Isabel asked Tess.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, do it." She nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on making the woman at the front desk see something that would allow their plan to work. A few seconds later, she looked to the back and walked off.  
  
"Okay, Max, go!" said Isabel. Max went off to do his part. He went and found Liz's record. It was hard, but he found it. She wasn't identified by name, so that took most of his time. When he found it, he opened it and looked through, when he found what he was looking for, he waved his hand over the paper and changed some of the entries. Quickly, he replaced it and went back to the others.  
  
"Done." Tess dropped the warp, feeling a little dizzy, but okay.  
  
  
A few minutes later, the woman came back to the front desk, and they went up to her.  
  
"Can I help you," she asked.  
  
"Who can we speak to about having a friend who... admitted herself released?"  
  
  
Not too long after, they were seated in an office. A man in his late forties sat across from them. He was looking through Liz's papers.  
  
"Alright, well, she'll have to go through an evaluation to see if she is fit to leave, but I don't think that'll be a problem. In all the time I've been here, I've observed her, and I don't see why she should stay here if she doesn't want to anymore. She looks perfectly sane to me."  
  
*  
  
One week later, Snowhill  
  
They sat impatiently, waiting to hear if Liz would be released. All the adults sat on the edge of their seats, while the kids sat together, somehow enjoying themselves. Finally the doctor came in. The second he walked in, they all got up.  
  
"So?" asked Maria.  
  
"Congratulations. She was granted release." They just stood there for a few seconds, trying to process the news. And when they did, the room was filled with cheers so loud, they were sure Liz heard them.  
  
  
"So where is she?" asked Max.  
  
"She's saying goodbye to everybody. She's been here nearly two decades, you understand." And he left. All were in a bit of shock. They hadn't known how long she'd been there. That meant she'd been there practically the whole time.  
  
Maria, Isabel and Tess went to their children, making sure their clothes were straight, their faces and hands clean, their hair neatly brushed.  
  
"Mom! Stop it!" said Ricky. The men observed their families, with their backs to the door.  
  
"Let go, mama!" said Anna. They heard a small laugh behind them and stopped cold.  
  
  
"L... Liz?" said Maria, even before turning.  
  
"Yes, it's me..." she said slowly, as they all turned to see her. They all stood in shock for a few minutes as they observed her. She did look different... mostly due to the big scar on her cheek... and her hair had gotten really long. Finally, Maria snapped out of it and went to hug her friend.  
  
"I can't believe it's you," she managed to say through a sob.  
  
"I know... I thought I'd never see you again..." said Liz, also crying. After a few minutes, Maria managed to let go of her. Alex was next. He went up to her, and observed her for a few seconds, before taking her into his arms. They remained in silence for a minute and then let go. Kyle came after.  
  
"Hey, Liz," he said before hugging her as well.  
  
"Hey." Tess was next. The two women stood in front of each other, unsure of how to respond to each other. Finally, Tess took a step forward and hugged Liz. Both knew the gesture was sincere and it was much appreciated by Liz, who smiled at her when she pulled back. Michael came next. He simply hugged her, although Liz noticed a small tear in his eye. She didn't say anything.  
  
  
It was Isabel's turn. She took Liz and held her for a few minutes, as if to make sure she was really there.  
  
"You never gave up, did you?" asked Liz, feeling a few tears coming.  
  
"Never," said Isabel, not holding the tears back.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't." When she let go, Alex took her in. Then at last, it was Max's turn.  
  
"Liz," was all he could say.  
  
"It's okay, Max." She knew what was going through his mind. He felt responsible. She reached up and wiped away a tear running down his cheek. They remained in silence for three minutes, before snapping back into reality.  
  
  
She looked to the four children standing in the corner.  
  
"Well, well, well... who do we have here? Wait! Let me guess..." She crouched in front of them. She looked to the tallest one, and Isabel was right, he was the spitting image of this dad.  
  
"This must be Jack, right?" The boy nodded. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking his hand. That got a smile from him.  
  
"And... Ricky..." When he was correctly identified, his face lit up, and Liz finally recognized he was her best friend's son, because he had her smile. Then, she turned to the two little girls.  
  
"And look at you... Lisa... and Anna... right?" The girls nodded. "You're both very pretty..." she started, then had to stop, overwhelmed with thoughts of her own little girl, who was grown by now.  
  
"Why are you crying?" asked Anna.  
  
"Because I'm happy to meet all of you," she covered. "Come on," she said, "Let's get out of here."  



	4. Her story

One hour later, they all sat in a restaurant. Liz was still a bit disoriented, but she was okay.  
  
"Um... Liz?" started Isabel.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"There's something we've been meaning to ask you for a while now..."  
  
"You wanna know what I was doing at Snowhill," she said, not as an answer, but a statement.  
  
"Well... yeah," said Maria. Liz looked down, thinking of what she should say.  
  
"Can... can we talk about this somewhere else? Somewhere... not so public. And preferably not in front of the kids."  
  
"Well... we can talk about it at the hotel... if you want to," said Alex.  
  
"I have to talk about it sooner or later..."  
  
  
As they walked out of the restaurant, something caught their attention.  
  
"Do not attempt to adjust your set..." came the voice of a man from the televisions in the store across the street.  
  
"What's that?" asked Kyle. They listened to the man talk. When it ended, his image was replaced with whatever had been playing before.  
  
"Weird..." started Maria.  
  
"Let's get to the hotel, okay?" said Max.  
  
"Yeah," said Liz. Just then, a young girl, about 19 bumped into her.  
  
"Oh, sorry!" she said, before continuing walking, taking a look back to Liz, a bit confused for a reason unknown to her. Liz watched her go, a strange feeling coming over her.  
  
"Liz?" called Max.  
  
"Yeah... I'm coming..."  
  
*  
  
They were now back at the hotel, and the children had fallen asleep, so they decided it was the perfect time to find out what Liz had been up to in all that time.  
  
"Liz? Please tell us," asked Maria. Liz started to think of where to start, but all the memories coming back to her were too much and she began to cry.  
  
"Liz?" asked Maria, going up to her friend. But she put her hand up to stop her.  
  
"I'm okay. I'm okay, I can do this..." she said, wiping at her face. She took a deep breath and charged forward.  
  
  
"When I left home... I ended up in Wyoming. I rented a small apartment and I was on my way to a job interview. I took a taxi... I wasn't paying attention to the road..." At that point, her tears returned, but she managed to control them. "When it stopped, I realized we were... in an alley. The next thing I knew, I was in the emergency room... the driver had..." Instinctively, she put her hand to the scar on her cheek. "He took... all my money... I had nothing left. I didn't want to call home because I didn't want anyone to see how bad I was doing... when I got to my apartment, I was really depressed and then I... I came across these people who were looking for people for... an experiment, they said... they said it would pay a lot, and I really needed money to get back on my feet. So I signed up... I thought I would only be there for a couple days... I was wrong." Liz surveyed the room, looking at the others' already stunned faces, and also checked that the children were still sleeping.  
  
  
Slowly, she removed her left shoe. The others were confused. She removed her sock and lifted her ankle for them to see the barcode.  
  
"Wh... what's that?" asked Alex. Liz took a deep breath, and continued.  
  
"We were on a bus, me and 59 other girls. We had no idea where we were going. The windows had been boarded up so we couldn't see through them. I made a great friend on the bus, her name was Gina..." She felt her heart twist at the thought of her friend. "We got there and we were split into two groups. Our group was taken into a large room with beds. Then we were given gowns, and they cut our hair and..." She pointed to her ankle. "They took us into the mess hall and we were finally told what we were there for..." She stopped for a second, needing to take a breath and collecting her strength to go on.  
  
  
"They were a genetics team, using recombinant DNA to produce superior humans, soldiers..." She looked up at the others. All had their eyes on her, wide open. "They needed... girls to... carry these projects to term... we... we were never told it was what we were there for. We had no way out, it was out of our hands. Next thing we knew... we were expecting... The next couple of months went by... it was a bit of a blur... gene therapy, checkups at least twice a week... I found out I was going to have a little girl. Soon enough I realized... I didn't want to give her up. So Gina and I started planning our escape. And in our seventh month, we tried..." Finally, the emotions took her over and she broke down into tears. Maria reached out and placed her hand over Liz's hand, unable to say anything.  
  
  
Liz shook her head and continued. "We nearly made it and then... the alarm was set off and... they found us... they had the guns... they were gonna shoot... I didn't want them to hurt my baby... so I stopped... but Gina didn't... and they shot her... and she died..." She broke down again, regaining a bit of control again soon after. "Her daughter was born after she'd died, two months prematurely... I don't know if she made it... that night they placed me in a room all by myself... strapped to the bed... the next two months were spent mostly like that. Then came the delivery. I was tied down again and they gave me some drugs... I don't know what they were... last thing I heard were her first cries... and then the next thing I knew, or at least understood, I was at Snowhill... and I remained there until... today..."  
  
  
"Oh my god, Liz," said Maria before hugging her friend. "I'm so sorry... if I had known... I wouldn't have pressed so hard to know," she said through tears.  
  
"No. I'm glad you did. I needed to tell this to someone. I'm glad it was you."  
  
  
Once the group had recovered, there were some more questions from both parties.  
  
"How old is she now?" asked Isabel.  
  
"Now... she must be about... 19... I can't believe it's been that long..." She looked down, but quickly looked back up. "My parents..."  
  
"They still live in Roswell. They sold the Crashdown about a year after you disappeared. They haven't forgotten you. Even after all this time, every time the doorbell or phone rings, you can still see them jump a bit..." said Alex. Tess reached out for the phone next to one of the beds and handed it to Liz.  
  
"Call them."  
  
"No... I can't..." she said shaking her head.  
  
"Yes you can," said Tess. Liz took the phone, not sure what to do. She walked off into the bathroom with it.  
  
*  
  
Back in Roswell  
  
"Hello?" said Jeff Parker as he picked up the phone, still focused on the game on television.  
  
"Dad?" said Liz. That sound had him snap back into reality in half a second.  
  
"Lizzy?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, it's me," she confirmed, more tears forming in her eyes.  
  
"Oh my goodness... it's so good to hear your voice..." he said as he cried as well, then, "NANCY! COME QUICK!" he called out to his wife in the kitchen.  
  
"What? What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said, picking up the phone as he handed it to her, still in shock. "Hello?" she said.  
  
"Mom..." Nancy had to steady herself on her husband's shoulder to prevent herself from falling down.  
  
"Liz?"  
  
"Mom, I'm so sorry I didn't call you, I wanted to and it's a long story and I promise I'll tell you everything when I get home."  
  
"You're coming h... home?" she managed to whisper.  
  
"Not yet, but soon... there are some things I need to take care of."  
  
*  
  
About an hour later, Liz returned to her friends. "What now?" asked Kyle, "Are we going home? All of us?" Liz looked down.  
  
"You want to find her, don't you?" said Isabel.  
  
"I have to," said Liz, looking back up.  
  
"Then we'll find her," said Max.  
  
"How?" asked Michael, "She could be anywhere."  
  
"What about..." started Alex.  
  
"What?" asked Maria.  
  
"That guy we saw on the television this afternoon, when we got out of the restaurant..."  
  
"Maybe... but how do we contact him? We don't even know who he is..." said Liz.  
  
"I could try to dreamwalk him... a bit hard since I've never met him... and I have no picture... but it's worth a try," said Isabel.  



	5. Request for help

"I have to go, said Max, now 19, as she turned to her friend, Logan Cale.  
  
"Alright, I'll see you later then," he answered casually.  
  
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm going away... out of Seattle... maybe out of the country..."  
  
"W... why?" he asked, feeling like his heart had been ripped out.  
  
"I'm sorry, I have to go now..." With that she turned and started walking away, her form seemingly disappearing in the shadows.  
  
"NO! Don't go!" he pleaded as he tried to follow her, to bring her back, make her stay... But it was as though his feet were glued to the ground. He couldn't stop her. And soon enough, he couldn't see her anymore, she was gone.  
  
"Come back!" he said, although he knew she couldn't hear him.  
  
  
He sighed, resting there for a few seconds, before feeling someone's presence.  
  
"Hello? Who's there?" he demanded. Finally, the woman came into view. She appeared to be about forty, with long blond hair.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked her. She didn't speak, but observed his face for a few minutes, then finally, her eyes grew wider and she sighed of apparent relief.  
  
"It is you," she said, clearly to herself and not the confused Logan who stood in shock, from his friend's disappearance and the woman's appearance.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked again.  
  
*  
  
The next morning  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Max, checking out Logan's posture.  
  
"It's nothing... I just... had this strange dream last night," he said, thinking back to the woman's request.  
  
"Oh? What was it?" she asked with a grin.  
  
"Nothing you need to know. I got a job for you. Nothing big, just to set up the equipment for a conversation with Eyes Only."  
  
"Oh... Alright," she said, slightly disappointed at the ease of the job. "When does it need to be done?"  
  
"I told them to be there at noon."  
  
"Got it," she said, picking up the slip of paper with the address he gave her and the equipment. "Later," she said. There was something odd about his attitude she couldn't quite explain, but she shrugged it off.  
  
*  
  
At noon (note: I'll be jumping back and forth between the meeting place and Logan's home, so you'll need to pay attention closely)  
  
Max escorted Liz and Isabel into the room. He insisted on coming along, saying that it would be safer, but they all knew it was for another reason. He stayed by the door as the two women sat in front of the camera and screen set up on the table.  
  
"What do we do now?" asked Liz. Just then, the Eyes Only banner came on the screen just like it always did.  
  
"Thank you for agreeing to this," said Isabel.  
  
"It's what I do," he answered.  
  
  
Back at Logan's home, Max observed him as he began his conversation with the two women. He didn't know she was there as she stood by the door silently. One of them looked familiar, but she didn't know why.  
  
"Care to tell me what this is about?" the man on the screen asked. Liz turned to Isabel, feeling a wave of fright come over her.  
  
"It's okay, you can do it," she told her, taking Liz's hand. She nodded in response, took a deep breath and turned to look at the screen.  
  
  
Max listened carefully to the woman's story, her skin covering with goose bumps as the tale was told.  
  
"... 1999... Wyoming... Manticore... X5... Lydecker..."  
  
She could tell Logan was troubled as well, because he knew the same thing she did. This woman could be one of the mothers that had carried the X5s... maybe even herself...  
  
"Do you have any proof of this?" said Logan, trying to keep his cool. The woman turned to her friend again and slowly lowered her head to look at what they guessed was her foot. From the noises made, they knew she was removing her shoe and now her sock. She got up on the chair then and rested her left foot on the table, her ankle facing the camera.  
  
And there it was, staring back at them. A barcode. Logan was simply surprised, but Max drew in a breath, which finally alerted Logan to her presence.  
  
"One moment," he told the women, before closing the view on the camera. He then turned to see Max standing behind him completely still.  
  
  
"Max what's wrong? What is it?" he whispered.  
  
She could hardly breathe, but managed to let out, "Th... that's... MY... barcode."  
  
Logan's eyes grew wide and he suspected his jaw had dropped.  
  
"You sure?" he asked.  
  
"Positive," she said in a shaky voice.  
  
"What if it's a trap?" asked Logan.  
  
"What if it's not?" continued Max.  
  
"So what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Test her DNA?"  
  
*  
  
The next day  
  
Liz waited impatiently in the hotel room, while the others sat in different areas of it, talking of this and that. They were awaiting a phone call from the man... Eyes Only. When it did ring, all except the kids jumped up.  
  
"H-hello?"  
  
*  
  
"Max, calm down," said Logan, slightly amused.  
  
"How can you tell me to calm down?" said Max loudly, "This is my mother we're talking about here! This is the person I've been looking for ever since I learned about mothers!"  
  
She could barely stand in place. She'd been like a hurricane ever since she found out the woman's DNA had proved her to be Max's mother.  
  
When Max found out, at least when the shock had died down, she'd run home to take a shower and change before running back to Logan's. The woman was to come to Logan's home, apparently with some people, whom she assured were harmless.  
  
"So what do we do?" asked Max.  
  
"All she knows for now is that I have questions to ask her and decided to meet face to face. She doesn't know that you're here. That means I'll need you to stay outside the room until I bring up the subject."  
  
"Logan!"  
  
"I know you're anxious, but we can't just drop this on her."  
  
"I know..."  



	6. Another reunion

About two hours later, Max and Logan sat in his office, as Max told Logan about a delivery she'd made a few days earlier. The doorbell rang, and she all but fell on her feet.  
  
"They're here!" she said, the excitement apparent in her face and movements.  
  
"Alright, now relax. You stay in here, I'll start talking to her... them... you know when to come in." She hesitated, then nodded. He took a last look at her, and wheeled over to the door. He was nervous too, but he tried not to show it, as he grabbed the knob and opened the door.  
  
  
"Miss Parker?" he asked of the woman who stood in front of the small group.  
  
"Y... yes, that's me," she said, observing the wheel chair Logan sat in. So did the others.  
  
"I'll explain that later. Please come in." The group entered and he counted, four men, four women, two boys and two girls. He recognized the woman from his dream and could hardly believe she was real. He invited them to follow him to his living room. They did.  
  
  
"Why did you need us to come here?" asked the woman from the dream.  
  
"Maybe we should start with introductions. I'm Logan Cale," he said.  
  
"Oh, yes of course. Well, I'm Isabel Evans, you know Liz Parker, and this is Michael Guerin, his wife, Maria DeLuca, their son Ricky, Kyle Valenti, his wife, Tess Harding, their daughters, Lisa and Anna, my husband, Alex Whitman, our son Jack and my brother, Max Evans."  
  
"You..." started Logan, looking to Max, "Are you close to..." He indicated Liz.  
  
"We used to date, we were very... close..." he said, glancing at Liz, as both looked away.  
  
"Wow... this is... interesting..." said Logan with a small grin.  
  
"What?" asked Liz.  
  
"Miss Parker, there's something you need to know. In 2009, a few months before the pulse, twelve of the X5 kids escaped the Manticore base in Wyoming."  
  
"T... they did? What about my..."  
  
"Your daughter was one of them."  
  
"Do... do you know where she is?"  
  
"You want to know why I reacted the way I did before? About his name?" he asked, pointing to Max with his head. Liz nodded.  
  
  
"Well... I guess there's no two ways to say this. The X5 kids gave themselves names... they didn't like calling themselves by numbers like the others did. Your daughter's name, is Max." The adults were equally surprised, amused and awaiting the next part while barely breathing.  
  
"And she's here." They manifested their shock with gasps and wide eyes, and they knew Liz was crying. The floor cracked and they looked up to see a young girl standing by the entrance, her own eyes filled with tears as she attempted to regain her ability to breathe normally.  
  
  
Not a word was spoken. The group observed the two women as they came face to face, only inches separating them. When recognition that they were really mother and daughter finally dawned on them, the emotions were let loose. Liz took her daughter into her arms for the very first time and Max hugged her mother back, taken over by a feeling she'd never felt before, a feeling she certainly liked. When they separated, they observed each other again, and eventually sat down. The other women were joyfully weeping as well, while the men tried to hide their own tears. Max looked down to her mother's ankle. Understanding, Liz removed her shoe and sock and propped up her ankle on her knee.  
  
Max studied it and spoke her first words to her mother, "I knew it was you." She turned in her seat and lifted up her hair for them to see her own barcode.  
  
"Oh my goodness," whispered Liz.  
  
  
In the course of the next half-hour, they remained primarily silent, too busy with inspecting the girl and getting back to a calmer frame of mind. At last, Max told her side of the story, or at least the part she was willing to mention in front of the children.  
  
"I met Logan a couple months ago..."  
  
"Yeah, and what a meeting it was," he continued with a grin. She shot him a look, and risking bodily harm, he went on.  
  
"She broke into my apartment, trying to steal something..."  
  
"Girl's gotta make a living!" she defended herself.  
  
"Yeah, you keep saying that... anyway... when I saw her defend herself against my ex-cop bodyguard with effortless ease and dive through the window headfirst and land on her feet, I kinda got the clue she wasn't your average girl..." he finished, looking at her.  
  
"ANYWAY, once we figured out each other's 'secret identities', I started helping him out. When you talked to him yesterday, I was listening and... when I saw the barcode..." She looked to her mother with a smile, and the woman hugged her instantly.  
  
  
"Tell me. About you, how you ended up in Manticore, what happened..." Liz looked around a bit, then turned back to Max.  
  
"Well... how could I put this..." Seeing the pleading look in her daughter's eyes, she started.  
  
"I can't tell you just how I got in," she said, indicating the kids. She went on to explain her first day at Manticore, how she'd met Gina on the bus, her first meeting with Lydecker...  
  
"At first... I guess I was angry at you. Unfair because you hadn't done anything, but it wasn't what I'd planned for my life, not at all. But eventually... after my belly had started to grow... and I found out you were a girl... I realized that I didn't want to lose you..." Max cried, listening to her mother's tale.  
  
"So I started to plan an escape... with Gina... but we didn't get to try until..."  
  
"Your seventh month," finished Max, remembering.  
  
"Yeah. How'd you know?" asked Liz.  
  
"The woman who helped me get away once I'd passed the perimeter told me. She said you'd tried to escape when you were in your seventh month."  
  
"I did. I did, we did, me and Gina, we were so close and then..." Max took her mother's hand, sensing this was something hard for her to tell.  
  
  
"The guards found us, and when I stopped, Gina went on. They shot her and she fell to her end..." said Liz, trying to mask the event in front of the kids.  
  
"Who?" asked Max, already knowing the answer. Liz looked to her and she knew.  
  
"W... what about her baby?"  
  
"I was told by one of the people in there that they'd delivered her baby safely, even though she was two months premature. I never knew what happened to her."  
  
"Do you know her number?" asked Max. Liz provided it.  
  
In the months they'd spent at Manticore, they'd managed to learn all the numbers from their group. "Jondy..." whispered Max when she heard it.  
  
"You know her?" said Liz with hope.  
  
"Yes, of course I did. She was probably the one I was closest to. Ironic, uh? Wow... it explains why she was smaller than the rest of us." Liz felt so relieved to finally know that even though Gina hadn't survived, a part of her might still be alive.  
  
"Did she escape with you?"  
  
"Yes. Although I didn't know that until a couple months ago."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I never knew if any of the others had made it out and if they did, which ones..."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"I'm not sure. We were taught to always keep moving, to never stay in one place too long. Although I never really followed that rule... the others probably do..."  
  
  
"So what happened next?" asked Max.  
  
"I was placed in isolation. And then when I was full term... they gave me something... the last thing I heard before I passed out was you... your first cries... and I couldn't do anything..." She wiped at the tears around her eyes and on her cheeks.  
  
"When I woke up, I was in..."  
  
"A psychiatric facility..."  
  
"Yes. Snowhill psychiatric institute."  
  
"That's right here in Seattle! That means you were right by all this time... I pass by there almost everyday!" said Max in shock. Her mother had been within her grasp all this time and she didn't know...  
  
"I was there for twenty years approximately... and I thought of you everyday... wondering what you were doing... what you were feeling... what you looked like... Every year, one day every year I celebrate your birthday... that was one of the only things that kept me going all this time... that you were out there, living your life... no matter what it was or where it was..."  
  
Max hugged her mother and she whispered in her ear, "I love you, Mom. I think of you everyday too..."  



	7. The visitor

At that time, Snowhill psychiatric institute, Seattle, Washington  
  
He walked through the door, as he did once a month. The woman at the front desk nodded as he looked to her. He went inside the hall, passing room after room, ignoring the people walking around. He was known by the personnel and they knew he wouldn't be there long. He didn't smile, he didn't frown, he had no emotions displayed. He walked into the room he'd went to every month.  
  
Only this time, it was empty. He looked puzzled, but simply turned around and found a doctor.  
  
"Excuse me. Where is the woman who lives in that room?" he asked indicating it.  
  
"Oh, she left."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"She was released."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Uh... two days ago."  
  
The man turned around and walked away. Once outside, he took out his phone, and dialed. "Mr. Lydecker? We need to talk. I'm on my way."  
  
*  
  
That night, Logan's home  
  
All had returned to the hotel room. Except Liz, who wanted to remain with her daughter. Both women were invited to stay at Logan's. But Liz couldn't sleep. It had been a very eventful day. It hadn't completely sunk in yet. She sat by the window overlooking the city night sky, when she heard a small cough from behind. She turned to find Max standing there.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked her mom.  
  
"No."  
  
"Me either," she said, sitting next to her. "Uh... M... Mom?" Max asked, a grin appearing on her face at the mention of the word Mom. Liz smiled too, knowing her wait for the word to be spoken was over. The two women already had an unspoken admiration for each other, even though they had only met a few hours before.  
  
"Yeah?" said Liz.  
  
"I wanted to know about... some things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well... Gina... and your time after you tried to escape... If you don't want to, I'll understand, I just..."  
  
"It's alright," said Liz, nodding.  
  
  
"Gina... I never thought I would meet someone like her in a place like Manticore. She was the one that helped me through it. We were sitting together on the bus, and everyone had begun the trip in silence. Eventually, some of them began whispering to each other. She turned to me and... she smiled... and I knew I could count on her. She had red hair, it was... just below her shoulders and she wore it in a ponytail almost on top of her head. Her eyes were sparkling blue, they lost their shine after a little while... She was from Montana, had just a hint of an accent. She'd went off to Idaho to try living on her own... and then they found her. She needed money to make it, so she went.  
  
"I remember, on our first night there, she told me about how her mom would sing all the time... Gina herself had a beautiful voice... she would sing to us when the guards weren't around... When I suggested the escape, she didn't think it was a good idea, but I convinced her. She had felt a connection with her child as well and I don't think she would have come otherwise. We spent four months planning it and finally, one night, we tried. By then, our bellies had grown so much that it was hard for us to sneak around very well..."  
  
  
"So what happened?" asked Max.  
  
"She was scared the whole time. We had gone to bed and when the coast was clear, I gave her a signal that it was time. You should have seen her face, she just went wide-eyed. Eventually, she got up, and we started going... she was really nervous the whole time... Somehow, we took a wrong turn, because before we knew it we'd been walking around for an hour. We were almost at the exit, we could almost feel the freedom, and then... they found us. I could feel her shaking behind me.  
  
"They told us to stop. There was no doubt for me, I didn't want anything to happen to you so I stopped. I... I knew Gina, I knew she was a risk taker, and somehow... I... knew she wouldn't stop. And she didn't. Right there, when Lydecker... shot her... I could see all that we'd been through... seven months just flashed before my eyes... and it made me sick to my stomach."  
  
  
"Seeing her lying there in her blood... knowing she was gone... I was outraged but too shocked to act upon it. I pleaded for them to do something, to try to save her baby... and I guess they did... But I never knew that back then. I was dragged off to a room and strapped to the bed. I tried to break free... but eventually I fell asleep from exhaustion."  
  
  
"That first morning after I woke up in the isolation room, I couldn't even talk... I was still in complete utter shock. When it finally hit me, about two days later, still strapped... it came down hard... the attempt at escape... Gina's death... the isolation... basically all that had happened since my arrival at Manticore... But Gina most of all. For so long, even beyond my departure from the base, at least a year after the incident, whenever... I went to sleep, or even closed my eyes... all I could see was her... lying dead on the ground... it haunted me... I felt like it was just my fault... that if I hadn't dragged her into the escape, she would have had her baby and they would have taken her back to Idaho, and might still be alive today..."  
  
"Mom... it wasn't your fault. You tried to save her, you tried to take her out of the bad place... even if it ended badly, you can't blame yourself." Liz looked to her daughter and smiled.  
  
"I spent the two months until you were born... trying to keep my mind off of it... imagining what you would look like... I tried getting used to the idea that I wouldn't see you grow up..." Max and her mother continued talking through the night, nearly twenty years apart from each other seemed like it never happened.  



	8. We have a problem

The next morning... somewhere  
  
"You wanted to see me?" asked Donald Lydecker to the man in front of him.  
  
"Yes," he said as the two men sat down.  
  
"What is this about?"  
  
"As you know I was assigned to verify that the surrogate mother X5-452 remained no threat to Manticore and it's activities. I've been visiting the psychiatric facility once a month for the past two decades to do so. However, on my visit yesterday, I came across a... situation..."  
  
"A situation?"  
  
"She's... gone."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"She has left Snowhill."  
  
"That's impossible. We made it very clear in her files that she was never supposed to leave. Care to explain what happened?"  
  
"I have no idea." Lydecker looked outside the window. It was going to be a long day. And he was getting a headache.  
  
*  
  
A few hours later, Snowhill psychiatric institute, Seattle Washington  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Yes, can I help you?" said the woman at the front desk, looking up to the man who was now standing in front of her.  
  
"Yes, I believe you can," he answered. Before the woman could place another word, she felt a pain at the back of her head and fell in a mass on the floor. Lydecker nodded to the man who had knocked her out, and he moved off to keep lookout for anyone who might interfere with their plans. Lydecker and the other two men who had come along followed him further into the building.  
  
  
They came to the record room, and as the two men guarded the surroundings, Lydecker went to retrieve the woman's file. At certain times, he could hear sounds of struggle, which he assumed were people who had come across their operation that his guards had to restraint. He continued searching and eventually found the file. He opened his briefcase and put it inside, locking it when he closed it. He exited the office, and made his way out of the building, his three guards following him once he'd passed them.  
  
*  
  
The next night, Seattle streets  
  
Max, her mother, and her mother's friends were walking together, after spending the night at Crash. All of them had had a great time, especially Max and Liz, as they talked all night, Max telling stories about her friends from work, and Liz talking of some experiences of before she left Roswell. Logan had remained home, watching Jack, Ricky, Lisa and Anna.  
  
  
They were still laughing at a story Max had told them about an incident with Sketchy and Normal that had happened a few weeks before. Max looked up ahead, absently observing the people standing around. And then something caught her eye. She used her high vision to focus on some of them, more precisely their feet. She felt an urge to shake her head and roll her eyes, but there were more important matters.  
  
  
"Listen, I forgot to go pick up this thing for a friend, I really need to go, so how about we meet back at Logan's," she told them quickly.  
  
"Um, okay," said Liz.  
  
"Go on," she said, trying not to push them away, so they wouldn't panic. Once they'd passed the corner, making sure they would be heading in the opposite direction, she quietly made her way to the men's location, not letting them see her just yet.  
  
  
She scanned the surroundings, checking everyone. Four... she could take them easily. She climbed up above them, on a low balcony, unseen. She positioned herself, making sure they hadn't noticed her. She looked to see if there were bystanders, before jumping back to street level, right in front of one of the four men. What was perfect, was that none would hear the other from their location.  
  
  
As soon as she dropped in front of him, he swung his arm up to try to hit her, but she caught it. She pulled him around and slammed him into a wall. She then grabbed on to his arm and flipped him over on his back and knocked him out. When she was sure he wouldn't rise again, she moved on to the second one. All she needed to do was insure they wouldn't follow her mom and find where she hid.  
  
  
She sneaked towards the second man. He had his back turned, but sensed someone and turned. He too tried to take a swing at her. She ducked and evaded it and gave a direct thrust, sending him to the ground. When he stood up again, she didn't hesitate to continue, with a punch to the face, using her momentum to spin into a roundhouse kick, knocking him backwards into some crates, disabling him. Knowing she might have alerted the next closest man, she moved on.  
  
  
She came running, and just as he turned and saw her, she leapt and tackled him. After a short struggle, she pulled him to his feet and punched his face. He managed to place a direct hit to her face as well, which she quickly followed with a double fisted punch to his stomach, which had him knock against a wall, but he recovered seconds later. As she had to get to the last one soon, she sent a line of punches to his face and gut flying, not giving him time to respond. Soon, he lay on the ground defeated.  
  
  
Just then, the last one came up from behind her. She sensed him, turned around and kicked him in the gut, then jaw, then gut again. He took a swing at her, but she grabbed his arm and punched him twice in the face. He swung at her with his other arm, but she ducked and caught it as well. She yanked it back and heard something snap. As he hollered in pain, she jabbed him in the face and he stood down.  
  
  
She looked around quickly, making sure no more were around, and hurried away, heading to Logan's house. She knew why they were there, and she wouldn't let them get what they wanted. Never.  



	9. Humans and children first

Not too long after, Logan's home  
  
Liz observed the four children sleeping on the bed in Logan's guestroom. Seeing them, it had finally hit her just how long she'd been gone. She couldn't begin to imagine how much her family and friends had been through in the last two decades. The worst part was she couldn't really do anything about it.  
  
She quietly shut the door and went to the living room, where Max, Michael, Maria, Isabel, Alex, Tess and Kyle sat with Logan and talked. They were waiting for Max to return from her errand. She had only known her for a short time, but she'd worried for her ever since she'd awakened at Snowhill, even before, when she was still inside her, she'd never stopped worrying. But it was different now.  
  
  
"Are they still sleeping?" asked Maria.  
  
"Yeah. They're just... gorgeous," said Liz with a smile. Maria, Isabel and Tess all smiled, feeling pride. Just then, they heard the door open and close quietly. They looked up to see Max walk in, sporting a slight bruise near her jaw.  
  
"What happened?" asked Logan and Liz at the same time, both concerned.  
  
Max gave a small smirk and said, "Logan, can we talk?" He didn't understand why she couldn't speak in front of them.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked. She looked at the group, then decided she might as well just tell them.  
  
  
"We have a... problem..." she said.  
  
"What kind of problem?" asked Michael.  
  
"I lied to you before, I wasn't running an errand." That got their attention. "As we were walking, I saw some people and... they were from Manticore... probably there to try to find you," she explained, looking to her mother.  
  
"What?" asked Max as he got up, "How'd they know she was out?" Liz looked pensive for a moment, and then it hit her.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"What?" asked Alex.  
  
"Oh," she said again, counting in her head.  
  
"Liz, what is it?" asked Maria.  
  
  
"They've been watching me... all this time," she announced.  
  
"What?" said her daughter.  
  
"I never understood who he was, but now that I think about it, it all makes sense."  
  
"What does? What are you talking about?" asked Isabel.  
  
"There was this man... he came to visit me, once a month. He always came around this time, not for long, he'd stay for like five minutes every time..."  
  
"And... you think he was from Manticore?" asked Logan.  
  
"He has to be," said Max, as she nodded.  
  
  
"So they know she's not there anymore. What happens now?" asked Kyle.  
  
"They'll come after her. She's a danger to Manticore, if she speaks to the press. The other mothers were simply sent back to where they came from, no doubt they held up their promise not to speak of it, but they put her in a psychiatric facility for two decades, killed one of the other girls in front of her, she could take them down. Although I can't understand why they didn't just..." explained Max, but stopped suddenly, feeling tears.  
  
"Kill me?" finished Liz. The room became silent.  
  
"Maybe they've reconsidered now... which means you may all be in danger," Max said, looking to the group.  
  
  
Tess got up then, approaching Kyle, who stood by the window. "Kyle, I want you to take the girls and go back to Roswell," she said, trying to stay steady in her words.  
  
"No, I'm not leaving you here," he said firmly.  
  
"She's right," said Michael, then turning to Maria. "Take Ricky and go with them."  
  
"Michael..." started Maria.  
  
"Alex, you and Jack go too," said Isabel.  
  
"Isabel, no, we can't let you do this," said Alex, fearing for her. She smiled.  
  
"We can defend ourselves, we can take care of this... you can't. If anything happened to you... or Jack, Ricky, Lisa or Anna..." Kyle, Maria and Alex looked to their respective spouses, then to each other and each nodded their consent.  
  
*  
  
The next morning, early, bus depot  
  
Kyle, Maria, Alex and the kids said their good-byes to Tess, Michael and Isabel, when Max walked up to them, holding an envelope.  
  
"Alright, you got checkpoint passes and tickets to get you back to Roswell. We'll keep in contact with you, don't worry," she explained, handing the envelope to Alex, already feeling a closeness to all of them. All three parents who were to remain in Seattle hugged their children goodbye one more time, and after a few more tearful kisses to their husbands/wife, the seven on their way home boarded the bus. Tess, Michael and Isabel waved to the bus as it drove off, feeling a bit of emptiness.  
  
"Now what?" asked Max, still watching the bus.  
  
"We go back to Logan's... We have something to tell you two," said Michael, throwing a knowing glance to Tess and Isabel.  
  
*  
  
Soon after, Logan's home  
  
The scene may have seemed funny to the casual observer. Not for Max and Logan, however, who sat in shock. The four aliens sat in a row, with Liz on a couch nearby, with her daughter next to her and Logan in his chair, next to her.  
  
"This is... wow..." was all Logan could manage.  
  
"Guess I'm not the only one with... weird origins..." said Max, looking over the four again. None of them were very comfortable, all hated that part of the explanation. But they got over it quickly.  
  
"Alright... so what do we do about Lydecker?" asked Logan.  
  
"Actually... I may have an idea," said Tess.  
  
*  
  
The next day, the same meeting place  
  
Lydecker walked in, immediately seeing the screen and camera. He calmly went to sit in front of the screen. Seconds later, the Eyes Only banner and the man's eyes appeared on it.  
  
"Good morning, Mr. Lydecker. How nice of you to come."  
  
"Well, you certainly got my attention with that message of yours."  
  
"I thought I might."  
  
"You said you knew where this woman was?"  
  
"Yes," he said simply, "I will arrange a meeting, I hope you'll be kind enough to... not play any tricks, if you know what I mean."  
  
"Of course not, I simply would like to talk to her, make sure she's okay."  
  
"Alright then. Look into the envelope next to you, there's an address and time. Be there." And the screen went blank.  
  
"I will," said Lydecker, to no one.  



	10. Leave us alone

The next day again, an outdoor market, Seattle, Washington  
  
Liz walked shakily, holding her daughter's hand tightly, and glancing to Max, as he stood by her other side, from time to time. Michael, Isabel and Tess walked behind them, staying close to each other at all times. All had the same thing on their mind mostly. Would he hold his promise? Or would he double-cross them? They also prayed they would get to see their families again. As they let these thoughts flow, and tried desperately to avoid them, they saw Lydecker arrive. Of course, he wasn't alone. There were some men with him, two of which Max recognized as the men she'd fought a few nights before.  
  
  
Finally, they stood only about two feet apart. Liz was shaking a bit, but tried to hide it, while her daughter was attempting to keep herself from jumping forward and ripping Lydecker's eyes out.  
  
"Well hello," he said, "Nice little family reunion."  
  
"Listen very carefully, Lydecker," said Max through gritted teeth, "You have seen her now, she's fine. So you're gonna leave her alone." Behind them, Tess shut her eyes and concentrated on the four men that stood before them.  
  
"Well I don't know, I mean..." started Lydecker, before getting a faraway look on his face, as did the three men behind him.  
  
  
"It's working," said Michael as he picked up Tess, who was still concentrating.  
  
"Let's go," said Isabel. All of them began running in the other way.  
  
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" asked Max as she ran next to her mother.  
  
"I guess we'll find out in a second," said Max, as he and the others rounded a corner. Michael put Tess down and shortly after, she opened her eyes. Max looked to her mother, then peered around the corner. The men stood kind of confused.  
  
"What are we doing here?" she heard Lydecker say. Soon, they walked back the way they'd come.  
  
"I'd say it worked," she said with a smile as she turned back to the group, "Good job." All smiled, and they started heading back to Logan's.  
  
*  
  
A week later, bus depot  
  
Michael, Isabel and Tess went aboard, as Max stood a few feet behind Liz and her daughter. The two women hugged for a few seconds. When she pulled back, Liz saw they were both crying.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" she asked. She looked back to Logan, who was waiting in the car, deep in thought. She smiled.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. My life is here. But that doesn't mean we won't stay in contact. In fact, if you don't call as soon as you get home, I'll..."  
  
"Alright, alright, I get it," said Liz with a small laugh. They smiled and after a last hug, Liz let go.  
  
"Bye mom," said Max.  
  
"Bye honey," said Liz. Liz turned and walked to Max, and he took her hand as they went to the bus.  
  
  
When they were gone, Max walked back to Logan's car. "Um... wonder what our dear Mr. Cale is thinking about," she said with a grin.  
  
"What?" said Logan, snapping out of his thoughts. Max couldn't hold herself any longer and she burst into laughter. "What?" asked Logan confused.  
  
"Let's go," she said still laughing, "I think you and I need to have a little chat." He smiled to her and they drove away.  



	11. Epilogue

Epilogue  
Five years later, Roswell, New Mexico  
  
"Catch me! Catch me!" said little 3-year-old Sarah Evans, as she ran around the backyard of her grandparents' home.  
  
"Ooh! Here's my little angel!" said Max as he picked up his daughter.  
  
The girl giggled and said, "Daddy put me down!" He smiled and obeyed, he could never refuse anything to her, she was such a miracle to him. After all, he and Liz had been separated for two decades. Yet there they were, married for four years, with a 3-year-old ball of energy. The girl kept on running, almost knocking over her four grandparents as they stood talking.  
  
"Watch yourself, honey, you're gonna hurt yourself," said Nancy with a smile.  
  
"No, no, gramma I won't, I promise!"  
  
  
She kept on running, as she went past her mother, and aunts and uncles. Even though technically speaking, only Isabel was her aunt, and Alex her uncle through marriage, the others were just as much her aunts and uncles as them. Same went for Jack, now 14, Ricky, 13, Lisa, 12, and Anna, 9. She ran up to the four of them and Jack swept her up, quite strong for his age.  
  
"Hey there Sarah, what's up?" he asked cheerfully.  
  
"Nothing," she said, throwing back her head, her long brown hair flowing freely down her back.  
  
"Hi!" she said, her head upside down.  
  
"Hi, hi!" said Ricky, tickling her sides. She giggled and continued their little game.  
  
"Hi, hi, hi!"  
  
"Hey, Sarah, let me see those nails," Lisa asked, putting on a 'serious' voice.  
  
"I didn't touch them!" she said, showing off her little red nails, which Lisa had painted for her, very hard as Sarah could hardly stand in place for two minutes.  
  
"Boo!" said Anna as she kissed Sarah's forehead, upside down and all. She laughed again and began wiggling around, so Jack put her down. She nearly toppled over, but quickly found her balance.  
  
  
Liz couldn't help grinning at the sight of her daughter, jumping all over the place. She loved her to pieces, and she knew that it wouldn't replace seeing Max grow up, but she sometimes found herself wondering, pretending Sarah was little Max. She hated herself for doing it, but she couldn't help it. She walked to her parents, her in-laws and her husband.  
  
"So, when will she be here?" asked Jeff.  
  
"I don't know. It's her first visit, she doesn't know the place. Hope she didn't get lost." As if someone had read her mind, the doorbell rang inside.  
  
"I'll get it," said Isabel, Tess and Maria at the same time. They all laughed.  
  
"Why don't we all go?" suggested Maria.  
  
"Alright," said Tess. All three women rushed inside and Liz couldn't help feeling like they knew something she didn't.  
  
  
She could hear loud voices, which she could identify as her friends. They sounded overjoyed, so she knew it was Max. She imagined Logan was with her as well, last she'd heard, they were dating. Minutes later, Isabel, Tess and Maria returned, with wide smiles on their faces. Logan came through the door next... walking.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" said Liz as she went to him, "When did this happen?"  
  
"Oh, a little while ago," he said with a grin.  
  
"And you didn't tell me!" she said, playing furious with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, well, there's a few things we didn't tell you," he said, taking her hand in his. She looked down, feeling something. He was wearing a wedding band.  
  
"What... Logan!" she said, taking her new son-in-law into her arms. "Please, no more surprises," she said, a bit out of breath.  
  
"Well, I think you're in for one more..." he said, as he turned to the door, grinning a bit. Liz looked up and she nearly fainted.  
  
  
There stood her daughter in the door, positively radiant, smiling brightly, a hand resting on her belly, which had grown considerably in the last six months.  
  
"Hey Mom," she said. Liz covered her mouth, feeling tears come down her cheeks as she went to hug her daughter.  
  
"I thought you said you couldn't..."  
  
"Well, it looks like we were wrong," said Max with a smile.  
  
"You look like you're ready to burst!"  
  
"Yeah, well, they're getting big so..."  
  
"They? You mean..."  
  
"One boy, one girl," she said happily. Liz was wide-eyed as she turned to Isabel, Tess and Maria.  
  
"You three knew about this, didn't you?" The three acted innocent.  
  
  
When she recovered from the shock, she noticed her parents looking to the girl. She took her daughter by the hand and took her to the four adults standing by her husband.  
  
"Mom, dad, meet your first granddaughter... Max." Nancy had had time to get over the shock and took the girl into her arms. As she hugged her 'grandparents', she felt a tugging at her shirt. She looked down to see a little brown haired, brown-eyed girl.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked the tall woman.  
  
"My name's Max, what's your name?" she asked her.  
  
"Sarah," said the girl, "My daddy's name is Max too."  
  
"Yes, I know," she said with a smile.  
  
"Sarah, honey," said Liz as she picked her up, "You don't know who this is, do you?" She shook her head. "This is your big sister," said Liz. Sarah looked to the woman again.  
  
"Sister?" she asked. Liz nodded. Sarah had a look of wonder for a few seconds, and then extended her arms to her. Max picked her out of her mother's arms and took her close. "Hello big sister," said Sarah.  
  
"Hello little sister," said Max, feeling tears come down her cheeks.  
  
  
Liz watched her two daughters together and began to cry as well. She stepped up to them, and put her arms around the two.  
  
"Welcome home," she whispered into her eldest daughter's ear.  
  
"Thanks mom," she whispered back.  
  
The end  



End file.
